A configuration management database (“CMDB”) is a repository of information related to a system, such as an information technology (“IT”) system. A CMDB includes details of configuration items (“CIs”), which are structural units thereof. A CI may be an abstract data object that represents an entity belonging to the system. The entity may be an IT resource, such as a server, a database, or other hardware and software elements.
An entity of a computer system may have various attributes associated therewith. For example, if an entity represents server hardware, an attribute may be an operating system attribute of UNIX, an IP address attribute of 164.2.3.4, and a MAC address attribute of 35938a48-a6f5-4865-b996-b68c2ffd01bb. These attributes may be reflected in the CI representing the entity. A CI type may be associated with criteria that may be used to determine whether a CI is of the same type as another CI, whether a CI is actually equal to another CI, or whether a CI is different than another CI. CIs may be associated or merged based on such criteria.